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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · firm · rest · snap · fall · degree · press · nail

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. degree — from a university
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. press — to push
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — what's left
  16. press — newspapers
  17. firm — a company
  18. rest — a break
  19. firm — steady
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. press — a publisher
  23. firm — decided
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com